Corn-harvester.



. Patented Nov. I3, |900.

H. ELICK. conn HARVESTER.

(Application led May 1, 1900.)

3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

.\\ I I IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHHllillllHlllllllllllI pai.. m

lof/@91er eAzrgzys No. 661,735 Fatve'nted Nov. I3, |900. J. H. ELICK.

CORN HARVESTER.

(Application led May 1, 1900.)

(No-Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2,.

V uqargzys No. 661,735. Patented Nov. I3, |900.

J. H. ELICK.

CORN- HARVESTER.

(Applicstion led Mnyl I, 1900.)- (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

vk: Nonms PETERS co. Pnoroumo., WASHINGTON. D. c.

c UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE,

JOHN HENRY ELICK, OF DECATUR, INDIANA.

, CORN-HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 661,735, dated November13, 1900.

Application filed May l. 1900. Serial No. 15,074. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HENRY ELICK, a

citizen of the United States, residing at De-V catur, inthe county ofAdams and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Corn-Harvester, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention is an improved corn-harvester of the class adapted forcutting standing cornstalks, gathering the same into bundles, anddischarging the bundles onto the ground at suitable points.

One object of my invention is to effect improvements in the meanswhereby the harvesting-machine adapts itself to uneven surfaces when inoperation.

Another object of my invention is to effect improvements in the meanswhereby the cutting mechanism may be adjusted vertically, so as to cutthe corn at any desired height above the ground.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved means forlaterally adjusting the machine, so that the same may be widened ornarrowed to accommodate itself to the space between the rows of corn.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved means for guidingthe cornstalks to the cutter-blades as the machine advances between therows.

With these and other objects in View my invention consists in thepeculiar construction and combination of devices hereinafter fully setforth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a top plan View of acorn-harvesting machine embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a frontelevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a side 'elevation of the same with oneof the cuttingframes removed on the plane indicated by the line a a ofFig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail side elevation of one of the cutting-frames.Fig. 5 is a detail longitudinal sectional View of the same, taken on theline d d of Fig. 1, illustrating the relative arrangement of the upperand lower cutting-blades.

In the embodiment of my improved cornharvesting machine I provide adraft-frame A and cutting-frames B, one or more, which are adapted to bedisposed on the sides thereof and to which draft is applied through thedraft-frame. I will rst describe the latter.

The side bars l are connected together at their rear ends by a cross-bar2, the latterbeing provided at its ends with adjusting-slots 3. Bolts 4inthe said slots pass through the rear ends of the bars land connectsaid bars 1 to the cross-bar 2 and adapt the rear ends of said bars Itobe adjusted laterally toward and from each other, as will be understood.Vertically-disposed frames 5 rise from the side bars 1, andvertically-disposed shafts 6 have their upper ends journaled in bearingsdisposed centrally on said frames, as at 7, and the lower ends of saidshafts are journaled in bearings 8, bolted on the outer sides of theside'bars 1. The said shafts 6 carry sweeparms 9 10, which will be morefully described hereinafter, and said shafts are also provided withbeveled gears 11, which engage similar gears 12, fast with traction andsupporting wheels 13 ,the axles of which are secured to and projectinward from the side bars l, as at 15. A draft-bar 16 is attached to thefront sides of frames 5, as at 17,011 in any othersuitable manner, and apair of thills 18 are attached to the said draft-bar. A draft-beam 19 issecured at its rear end to the center of' the crossbar 2 of thedraft-frame by a bolt 20, which operates in a longitudinally-disposedslot 21 in said draft-beam, and the front end of the said draft-beam issecured tothe center of the cross-bar 21', which connects the thills bya bolt 22 or in any other suitable manner. The said draft-beam isprovided near its front end with an elongated slot 23. A pair oftoggle-jointed levers 24 'are connected at their inner ends to thedraft-beam by their pivotal bolt 25, which operates in the slot 23. Theouter ends of said toggle-jointed levers are pivotally connected tobolts 26, which extend outwardly therefrom and pass through and areguided inopenings near the front ends of the side bars 1.Bearing-springs 27, which are here shown as coiled springs, are disposedon the said bolts on the outer and inner sides of the said bars 1 andbear against the latter and against osets, as nuts or the like, withwhich said bolts are provided. A lever 28 is fulcrumed to a sector-plate29, which is secured to and extends vertically from the draft-beam, andsaid lever is connected to the pivotal bolt 25 of the toggle-le ver 24by a rod 30. The said lever is procaused to move the-inner ends of thetoggle# jointed levers forwardly said toggle-jointed levers will movethe side bars 1 and fra'me 6 outwardly,thereby widening the draft-frame,and that when the said lever is moved in the reverse direction saidtoggle-jointed levers will move said side bars and framesinwardly,thereby narrowing the draft-frame. Hence the said draft-frame is adaptedto be widened or narrowed, as may be required, to adapt the machine tothe width of the space between thecorn rows.

rIhe function of the springs 27 will appear hereinafter.

Yoke-frames 32 are disposed belowthe side bars l, vertical bolt-rods 33conuectingsaid side bars with the lower side of said yokeframes. Bars 34are adapted to play vertically in the spaces between the yoke-frames andthe side bars 1 and are guided and supported on the said bolt-rods 33,the latter passing through openings in said bars. The draft-frame isprovided with bell-crank levers 35, which are connected to the bars, Aasat 36, and serve to raise and lower said bars, as may be required, forthe purpose presently described, and said bell-crank levers are providedwith spring-pressed dogs, (indicatedat 37,) which engage sector-plates3S, secured to the side bars 1, andl on which the ybellcrank levers aremounted. The seat-bar 39 is supported on the draft-beam 30. It will beunderstood that the draft is applied through the thills and thedraft-beam to the rear end of the draft-frame.

I will now describe the cutting -frames, which are attached to andoperate upon the sides of thedraft-frame. Each cutting-frame comprises aplatform 40, from which rise vertical side frames 41. At the front endof the platform 40 is an obliquely-disposed cutting-blade 42. Anotherobliquely-dispose'd cutting-blade 43 is arranged below the cutting-blade42 on the under side of the platform and somewhat in rear of the blade42. Said lower cutting-blade 43 is attached at its ends to the lowerends of vertically-adjustable supports 44, the latter passing throughopenings in the side bars 45 of the platform and through keepers 46 andare `provided with adj listing-nuts 47,which engage threaded portions ofsaid supports 44, whereby the latter may be adjusted vertically, so asto adjust the lower cutting-blade 43 vertically below the platform, asmay be required. Each of the cutting-frames is hinged at its inner sideto one of the vertically-movable bars 34, whereby saidv cutting-framesare connected to the draft-frame. Each cutting-frame is provided on itsouter side at a suitable point with a pivoted standard 48, whichsupports at its lower enda supporting-wheel 49. The

upper end of said standard 48 is connected to a lever 50 by means of arod 51. Said lever 50 operates on a sector-plate 52 and is providedvwith a spring-pressed dog 53, which is adapted to engage vthe saidsector-plate and lock said lever at any required position. It will beunderstood that hy means of the lever 50 and rod 51 the inclination ofthe standard 48 may be changed as' may be required to raise and lowerthe cutting-frame from theground, and thus adapt the cuttingblades tocut the cornstalks as high above the ground as may be desired. The upperblades 42 serve to cnt the cornstalks, and the lower blades 53 serve tocut the stubble of the corn and clear the same from the hills.

4On the bottom of each of the cutting.- frames is pivoted a pair offorward-extending guide-arms 54, the front portions of which are curvedoutwardly in opposite directions, as at 55, and are disposed on oppositesides of the cornstalks :in the rows as the machine advances, saidguide-arms serving to guide the cornstalks to the cutting-blades and -tocoact with the latter in the cutting of the cornstalks. Springs 56 `bearagainst the outer sides of theguide-arms and keep the same in contactwith the corn, Guide-arms 57 are pivoted or hinged at their front endsto the front ends of the side frames 41 ofthe cutterframes at the vupperportions thereof, said guide-arms 57 converging rearwardly and beingprovided with curved supporting-rods 58, which are concentric with the.pivots or hinges of said guide-arms and operate -in openings in theframes 41. Springs 59 bear against the inner sides of the guide-arms 57and keep the same normally in the position shown in Fig. 1, saidguide-arms serving by engaging opposite sides -of :thewcornstalks in therows as the machine lprogresses to centrally-dispose the tops of thecornstalks, so

that as the saine are cut by the blades 42 the cornstalks fallrearwardly on the platform. The said guide-arms 57 also serve to preventthecornstalks from falling forward after the same have been cut.

It will be observed by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings that thesweep-arms 9 10 at the upper, ends of Athe vertically-disposed shaftsmove rearward over the v.cutterframes and that the same are eiiicient byreason of their said movement to engage the cornstalks'while the Ysameare being cut and 4to sweep the Ycornstalks rearward 011 the plat- Gates60, which connect the rear ends-of the vertically-disforms 40 afterthey'are cut.

posed frames 41, serve to retain the cut cornstalks on said platformsbetween the frames 41. Said gates comprise curved vbars 61, hinged orpivoted at one end to one of the frames 41 and at the opposite-endsengaging keepers 62. Springs 63on .the pivotsof said gates keep the samenormally closed and engaged by the keepers 62. -It will be understoodthat by disengaging the said gate-bars from the keepers and moving saidgate-bars rearwardly the cornstalks which vhave accumulated on theplatforms of the cutting- IZO or pivot connection to the shaft 6, as at64,

and is also provided with a spring 65, which while being strong enoughto render the sweeparms effective in sweeping the cornstalks rearward onthe platforms of the cutting-frames, as hereinbefore described, adaptingthe said sweep-arms to yield should they encounter an unyieldingobstruction, and thus obviate danger of breaking said sweep-arms.

It will be understood from the foregoing and from an inspection of thedrawings that the cutting-frames are adjustable vertically independentlyof each other on the sides of the draft-frame and that by means of thevertically-adjustable yoke-bars, to which the inner sides of thecutting-frames are hinged,and y the vertically-adjustablesupporting-wheels, which carry the outer sides of the cuttingframes, thelatter may be also maintained in substantially horizontal positions,andthe machine is thereby adapted to compensate for inequalities of theground.

The springs 26 27, which operate on the sides of the side bars 1 of thedraft-frame, serve to normally maintain the draft-frame in the positionshown in Fig. 1, While adapting the same to move laterally to keep thecutting-frames disposed in operative relation to the rows of corn shouldthe latter deviate slightly from straight lines. As here shown two ofthe cutting-frames are provided, one on each side of the draft-frame,and when the machine is thus equipped the same is adapted forsimultaneously cutting two rows of corn, the draft-frame being drawn bythe horse between the rows of corn; but it will be understood that oneof the cutting-frames may be dispensed with in the event that it is onlydesired to employ the harvesting-machine for cutting one row of corn ata time.

The machine may be made of any suitable size. Usually where the machineis to be employed for cutting only one row of corn at a time thedraft-frame will be made smaller thanwould be necessaryif the machinewere to be equipped, as here shown, with two of the cutting-frames.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim- 1. In a corn-harvesting machine, the combination of adraft-frame, a bar, and connections between said bar and thedraft-frame, to admit of the free vertical movement of said bar on theside of said frame, a cuttingframe hinged to said vertically-movablebar, said cutting-frame having a supporting-wheel at its outer side andmeans to adjust said Wheel vertically with relation to the cuttingframeand thereby vertically adjust the latter, substantially as described.

2. In a corn-harvesting machine, a draftframe comprising side members, across-bar connecting the rear ends of said side members, the latterbeing laterally adjustable on said cross-bar, toggle-jointed leversconnecting the front ends of said side members, buffer-springs on theconnections between said toggle-jointed levers and said side members,the latter being movable independently of the former, and means toadjust and lock said togglejointed levers, in combination withcutting-frames attached to the sides of said draftframe and extendinglaterally therefrom, substantially as described.

3. In a corn-harvesting machine, a supporting-frame provided with acutting-blade, in combination with forward-extending pivotedspring-pressed guide-arms operative on opposite sides of the cornstalksand disposed on the bottom of the frame, the latter having verticalsides and elevated rearward converging spring-pressed guide-arms toengage the upper portions of the cornstalks, revoluble sweep-armsoperative over the said frame, and a gate to close the space between thevertical sides of said frame in rear of said cutting-blade,substantially as described.

4. In a corn-harvesting machine, a draftframe comprisinglaterally-adjustable side members, toggle -jointed levers connectingsaid side members, means to adjust said toggle-jointed levers and tolock the same when adjusted, and cutting-frames attached to the sides ofthe draft-frame and extending laterally therefrom, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afxed mysignature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN HENRY ELICK.

Witnesses:

R. S. PETERSON, EARL B. ADAMS.

